A PHP Error was encountered

AG acts on LLRC advice: Top team probes Boossa detainees' cases

2011 Jan 21

The Attorney General’s Department is in the process of inquiring into cases involving detained LTTE suspects, including those held for high profile attacks.

The inquiry follows the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to President Mahinda Rajapaksa late last year. The Attorney General’s Department launched the inquiry on Wednesday (Jan. 19) with a special team headed by Deputy Solicitor General Shavendra Fernando visiting the Boossa detention facility to speak with LTTE suspects.

A spokesperson for the LLRC told The Island yesterday that some of those detained Tigers had requested the members of the LLRC on Dec. 30, last year to make representations on their behalf to the government. The detainees requested the LLRC to expedite police inquiries into their alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

They wanted to be either prosecuted or released.

Top team

The official said that the LLRC had met the parents of those detainees numbering 20 during field visits to the Northern and Eastern Provinces since last August. The detainees are among those held by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).

Attorney General Mohan Peiris has included Senior State attorneys, Chetiya Gunasekera, Kumara Ratnam, and Dilan Ratnayaka, in Shavendra’s team.

The AG heads an Inter Agency Action Group (IAAG) tasked with implementing the LLRC’s interim recommendations.

The LLRC commenced its sittings last August at the Kadirgamar Centre for International Relations, Colombo 07.

Sources said that the LLRC had recommended several interim measures for the benefit of the Tamil speaking people in the aftermath of the war. The LLRC, headed by former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, recommended urgent steps to tackle the language and land issues, disarming of all armed groups, a special mechanism to handle cases of LTTE detainees and ways and means of giving their families access to them.

The Interim recommendations of the LLRC specifically suggested that a review be made of laws delays with regard to LTTE detainees to expedite prosecution or discharge detainees. The Interim recommendations of the LLRC were made even before its visit to Boossa based on written submissions made by the kith and kin of LTTE detainees during LLRC sessions held in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, and Vauniya last year.

Defence Ministry has expressed concern over the delay in prosecuting some of those arrested on charges of terrorism and over shortcomings in the handling of some cases.

Sources said that the Defence Ministry had discussed the issue with the AG’s Department after some suspects, held in connection with the assassination of Gen. Janaka Perera, were given bail last year.

The Centre for Human Rights and Research (CHR) Sri Lanka, www.chrsrilanka.com the sister organization of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) www.caffe.lk, was established in 2010 in a bid to address the growing human rights concerns in the country and to educate the people about issues which have been neglected by the main stream media or civil society groups for various reasons. In addition to our continuous work with CSOs and human rights activism, in the past four years we have studied, spoken about and published greatly on Freedom of Information, Academic Freedom, and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).